Ichiro and Figgins begin to un-slump, but sloppy defense dooms M’s

Ichiro and Chone Figgins have been the anonymous but obvious subjects of Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge’s season-long proclamation that there are veterans on his team who need to perform better.

The statements are sometimes vague — the veterans need to get it going. We’re doing the same damn things over and over again. If the veterans could only pick it up … — but there is little secret as to the identity of the players for which those words are intended (though you can likely throw Jack Cust in there, too).

Wedge has addressed Figgins and Ichiro by name on numerous occasions, speaking openly about their struggles to date, but typically groups them subtly into the category of “veterans on this team” who have, to date, failed to approach the numbers or quality of play that has defined their careers.

And even though both players contributed to Seattle’s weak offense on Monday, even initiating a fifth-inning rally that gave the Mariners a brief lead, the home team still fell 6-3 to the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field.

A tough play at the plate during LA’s seventh-inning rally led to Seattle’s demise.

“We made a couple of mistakes they capitalized on,” Wedge said. “We’re right in the game there. … We missed some opportunities offensively that really could have changed the course of the game, too. We just fell short on multiple fronts today.”

Ichiro and Figgins combined to push the Mariners’ third run across in the fifth, when Figgins doubled sharply to right field with one out. Ichiro followed with a perfect bunt to an open space of green up the third-base line, moving Figgins to third while reaching base safely without a throw.

Brendan Ryan’s sacrifice fly scored Figgins from third base, and the Mariners took a 3-2 lead.

The Angels took it back in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs against Jason Vargas in the left-hander’s fatal and final inning. Jeff Mathis, the Angels’ No. 9 hitter, doubled to lead off. He moved to third on a groundout. He scored on a grounder to Figgins at third base, ahead of the throw that Miguel Olivo dropped at the plate.

Big moment, as it turned out.

“Figgy made a good play,” Wedge said, “but it just looked like Miggy got hit right as the ball got there and the ball came out.”

And after a flyout by Bobby Abreu, Vernon Wells uncorked his second home run of the game – the first was a solo shot with two outs in the third – to put Los Angeles ahead by two runs and render moot any talk of Figgins or Ichiro saving the day.

Had the Mariners gunned Mathis at the plate, the Abreu flyout would have ended the inning.

“Just one of those things,” Vargas said. “When you pitch good in this league, you can still get hurt. It just happens.”

Ichiro forced the action on Seattle’s first run, too. He led off the first inning with a hard single, stole second base and scored on a two-out single by Kennedy.

So while the Mariners did not win this game, they at least saw signs of promise from two of the most disappointing players on this year’s roster.

“I think he’s heading in the right direction, like we talked about before the game,” Wedge said. “He made something happen with that bunt, had the knock early and scored the run, was aggressive on the basepaths. So I think you have to be pleased with what we’ve seen here the last three or four games with Ichi.”

Vargas, however, displayed some more inconsistency after quality starts in his last two outings. He allowed six hits in seven innings, but was undone by Wells’ two blasts – both over the head of a helpless Carlos Peguero in left field – and three RBI.

The first pitch Wells hit over the fence was a hanging breaking ball, the second a fastball.

“It was a good pitch and he’s a good hitter,” Vargas said. “I don’t know. I thought I made a good pitch.”

Angels starter Dan Haren made some good pitches, too, earning the win after allowing seven hits and three runs in six innings. He struck out seven batters, though nobody on the Mariners side seemed convinced that Haren was the root of their problems today.

“I don’t really want to talk about Dan Haren anymore,” Kennedy said, asked to evaluate Haren’s effective cutter. “It wasn’t really about him. We had a chance to win and we didn’t play good defense behind Vargy all night.”

“There was a couple miscues but we had a semi-long road trip, had some games that we had to grind on and it’s just one of those things,” Vargas said. “We come back home and it’s nice to be here. They came out and played good tonight and put some good swings on some balls when it mattered.”

And though those struggling Mariners veterans did the same, it didn’t matter in the end.